1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for testing the radioactive content of materials.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,180 discloses an APPARATUS FOR THE FIELD DETERMINATION OF CONCENTRATION OF RADIOACTIVE CONSTITUENTS IN A MEDIUM. The invention claims to be an apparatus for determining the concentration of radioactive constituents in a test sample; such as surface soils, via rapid real-time analyses, and direct readout on location utilizing a probe made up of multiple layers of detection material used in combination with an analyzer and real-time readout unit. This is accomplished by comparing the signal received from the probe, which can discriminate between types of radiation and energies with stored patterns that are based upon experimental results. This comparison can be used in the calibration of a readout display that reads out in real-time the concentrations of constituents per given volume. For example, the concentration of constituents such as Cs-137, Sr-90, U-238 in the soil, and noble gas radionuclides such as Kr-85 in the atmosphere, can be measured in real-time, on location, without the need for laboratory analysis of samples.